travel agency

Meaning

A business or company that helps people arrange flights, hotel stays, tours, and entire vacation packages. While many people book online today, these businesses are still popular for complex international trips or group travel.

Examples

• We decided to book our honeymoon through a local travel agency.

  We decided to book our honeymoon through a local travel agency.

• The travel agency sent us a detailed itinerary for our trip to Japan.

  The travel agency sent us a detailed itinerary for our trip to Japan.

• She works as a consultant at a high-end travel agency in London.

  She works as a consultant at a high-end travel agency in London.

• I compared online prices with the package deal offered by the travel agency.

  I compared online prices with the package deal offered by the travel agency.

• Our travel agency handled all the visa applications and hotel bookings for us.

  Our travel agency handled all the visa applications and hotel bookings for us.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I booked my holiday at a travel agent.

  ✓ I booked my holiday at a travel agency.

  'Travel agency' refers to the business/office, while 'travel agent' refers to the specific person who works there.

• ✗ The travel office helped us find a cheap flight.

  ✓ The travel agency helped us find a cheap flight.

  While 'office' is generic, 'travel agency' is the standard collocation used in English.

Related Expressions

Practice

• We went to a ___ to plan our family cruise.

  💡 A business that helps people arrange trips and vacations.

  Show answer

  travel agency

• The ___ offered a great deal on a package holiday to Spain.

  💡 A company that organizes travel itineraries.

  Show answer

  travel agency